The Valkyries bring WNBA basketball to the Bay Area in their franchise debut

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The fans in the packed arena were decked out in matching purple T-shirts emblazoned with the phrase “First of a Lifetime.”

After years of hoping the WNBA would come to the Bay Area and more than 18 months after the expansion team was awarded by the league, the Golden State Valkyries made their debut Friday night, hosting the Los Angeles Sparks.

The environment produced by a sellout crowd of 18,064 fans at the 84-67 loss to the Sparks was everything the Valkyries hoped it would be.

“It was amazing,” guard Tiffany Hayes said after the game. "I enjoyed myself. We got a lot to work on. It was a tough game. But all in all, the crowd really gave us a lot of life out there. I wish we could have gave a little bit more back, but at the end of the day, it’s first game from us. We know we have a lot to learn.

“But I had a lot of fun out there and I enjoyed the energy from the crowd.”

Coach Natalie Nakase said she had this day circled on her calendar since the schedule was released and spent the entire day at the arena after waking up at 6 a.m., attending meetings and a shootaround and taking a walk around the empty arena.

While she said the approach should be like any game on any court, she acknowledged the historic moment as well.

“It’s special,” she said before the game. “Not everyone gets to be chosen to be the first. I do feel lucky that they chose me. They could have chosen a million other candidates that were more qualified. So I take this with a lot of responsibility, but be present and enjoy it the best I can.”

Kayla Thornton scored on the opening possession for the first basket in franchise history and there were quickly chants of “G-S-V! G-S-V!”

The crowd was at its loudest in the third quarter when Julie Vanloo made three straight 3-pointers to cut the deficit to six points in the type of flurry fans in the Bay Area are used to seeing at Chase Center from Warriors star Stephen Curry.

Vanloo said she was inspired by seeing Warriors coach Steve Kerr in the crowd just before that shooting spree.

“That’s why people come here,” she said. “This is the Bay Area. This is Chase Center. Magic happens here. I hope I can have a lot of moments like that.”

The WNBA's first expansion team since 2008 has been welcomed with great fanfare in the Bay Area. The team has more than 10,000 season-ticket holders at Chase Center and the arena was packed for a celebratory opener for a night that included a scheduled halftime show from famed Bay Area rapper E-40.

The arena had been transformed from its usual Warriors-themed look with Valkyries purple and the fans delivered in a major way.

“Loud. That’s exactly what I wanted,” Nakase said. “If I could have dreamed of an environment, the hostility of it, just the roars, the screams, the shouts. Even when Julie hit a couple of 3s coming back, that crowd is gonna support us regardless. To have that type of crowd, is just surreal.”

The team also has some high-profile supporters with San Francisco Giants shortstop Willy Adames wearing a Martin jersey to his game down the street and former U.S. soccer star Brandi Chastain and longtime NBA coach Doc Rivers — one of Nakase's coaching mentors after she worked for him on the Los Angeles Clippers staff — in attendance.

There were also several members of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors on hand, including Kerr, Kevon Looney, Buddy Hield, Jonathan Kuminga and Brandin Podziemski.

“I couldn’t be more excited,” Kerr said. “I think watching everything unfold over the last year, year and a half since the franchise was formed, it’s been incredible to watch. I think the branding has been amazing, the name, the colors, just kind of the unveiling of the team. ... I know tonight is going to be packed. This is just an incredible story.

"We have a lot of people here in this building who deserve a lot of credit for what’s about to unfold, so a lot of fun.”

AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

Players jump for the opening tip-off during the first half of a WNBA basketball game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Los Angeles Sparks in San Francisco, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr, foreground left, smiles during the second half of a WNBA basketball game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Los Angeles Sparks in San Francisco, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

The Golden State Valkyries are introduced for a WNBA game against the Los Angeles Sparks at Chase Center in San Francisco, Friday, May 16, 2025. (Santiago Mejia/San Francisco Chronicle via AP)

Fans enter Chase Center before a WNBA basketball game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Los Angeles Sparks in San Francisco, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

California women's basketball head coach Charmin Smith, middle, stands outside of Chase Center before a WNBA basketball game between the Golden State Valkyries and the Los Angeles Sparks in San Francisco, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Golden State Valkyries t-shirts are placed on seats for fans at Chase Center before a WNBA basketball game between the Valkyries and the Los Angeles Sparks in San Francisco, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Golden State Valkyries t-shirts are placed on seats for fans at Chase Center before a WNBA basketball game between the Valkyries and the Los Angeles Sparks in San Francisco, Friday, May 16, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

NEW YORK (AP) — Thousands of nurses in three hospital systems in New York City went on strike Monday after negotiations through the weekend failed to yield breakthroughs in their contract disputes.

The strike was taking place at The Mount Sinai Hospital and two of its satellite campuses, with picket lines forming. The other affected hospitals are NewYork-Presbyterian and Montefiore Medical Center in the Bronx.

About 15,000 nurses are involved in the strike, according to New York State Nurses Association.

“After months of bargaining, management refused to make meaningful progress on core issues that nurses have been fighting for: safe staffing for patients, healthcare benefits for nurses, and workplace violence protections,” the union said in a statement issued Monday. “Management at the richest hospitals in New York City are threatening to discontinue or radically cut nurses’ health benefits.”

The strike, which comes during a severe flu season, could potentially force the hospitals to transfer patients, cancel procedures or divert ambulances. It could also put a strain on city hospitals not involved in the contract dispute, as patients avoid the medical centers hit by the strike.

The hospitals involved have been hiring temporary nurses to try and fill the labor gap during the walkout, and said in a statement during negotiations that they would “do whatever is necessary to minimize disruptions.” Montefiore posted a message assuring patients that appointments would be kept.

“NYSNA’s leaders continue to double down on their $3.6 billion in reckless demands, including nearly 40% wage increases, and their troubling proposals like demanding that a nurse not be terminated if found to be compromised by drugs or alcohol while on the job," Montefiore spokesperson Joe Solmonese said Monday after the strike had started. "We remain resolute in our commitment to providing safe and seamless care, regardless of how long the strike may last.”

New York-Presbyterian accused the union of staging a strike to “create disruption,” but said in a statement that it has taken steps to ensure patients receive the care they need.

"We’re ready to keep negotiating a fair and reasonable contract that reflects our respect for our nurses and the critical role they play, and also recognizes the challenging realities of today’s healthcare environment,” the statement said.

The work stoppage is occurring at multiple hospitals simultaneously, but each medical center is negotiating with the union independently. Several other hospitals across the city and in its suburbs reached deals in recent days to avert a possible strike.

The nurses’ demands vary by hospital, but the major issues include staffing levels and workplace safety. The union says hospitals have given nurses unmanageable workloads.

Nurses also want better security measures in the workplace, citing incidents like a an incident last week, when a man with a sharp object barricaded himself in a Brooklyn hospital room and was then killed by police.

The union also wants limitations on hospitals’ use of artificial intelligence.

The nonprofit hospitals involved in the negotiations say they’ve been working to improve staffing levels, but say the union’s demands overall are too costly.

Nurses voted to authorize the strike last month.

Both New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani had expressed concern about the possibility of the strike. As the strike deadline neared, Mamdani urged both sides to keep negotiating and reach a deal that “both honors our nurses and keeps our hospitals open.”

“Our nurses kept this city alive through its hardest moments. Their value is not negotiable,” Mamdani said.

State Attorney General Letitia James voiced similar support, saying "nurses put their lives on the line every day to keep New Yorkers healthy. They should never be forced to choose between their own safety, their patients’ well-being, and a fair contract.”

The last major nursing strike in the city was only three years ago, in 2023. That work stoppage, at Mount Sinai and Montefiore, was short, lasting three days. It resulted in a deal raising pay 19% over three years at those hospitals.

It also led to promised staffing improvements, though the union and hospitals now disagree about how much progress has been made, or whether the hospitals are retreating from staffing guarantees.

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Nurses strike outside Mount Sinai West Hospital, Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

FILE - A medical worker transports a patient at Mount Sinai Hospital, April 1, 2020, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer, File)